Song:Superman (It's Not Easy)
Album:Playlist: The Very Best Of Five For Fighting
Singer songwriter John Ondrasik records as Five For Fighting. Superman (It's Not Easy) was a top 20 hit in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. I guess it was a bit of a fluke hit as his album had been out for a year. He was born Jan. 7, 1965 in Los Angeles. His mother was a piano teacher so he learned to play as a child. Then he took up the guitar as a teen. Though Ondrasik graduated from UCLA with a degree in applied science and mathematics, he wanted to be a musician. He called himself Five For Fighting as a nod to his lifelong fandom of the Los Angeles Kings. He appears on TV in Los Angeles as a celebrity hockey expert. Ondrasik chose a stage name because he thought people would struggle with Ondrasik. He released the 1997 album Message For Albert on Nettwerk/EMI. While that went nowhere, Ondrasik got the attention of Mark Cunningham of Columbia's Aware label. They signed him and the 2000 album America Town was recorded with producer Gregg Wattenberg. The album was released Sept. 2000. Superman (It's Not Easy) was the second single and it didn't chart when it was released Apr. 2001. But the song struck a chord with listeners after the 9/11 attacks and it climbed to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. America Town was certified Platinum. It would turn out to be Ondrasik's only big hit though his next album The Battle For Everything was also certified Platinum. After the 2006 album Two Lights, Ondrasik left Columbia and reunited with Wattenberg at Wind Up Records for the 2009 album Slice. This budget comp covers his Columbia recordings. For Slice, Ondrasik worked with legendary Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz. Ondrasik's latest CD was released in 2013 though he released a single last summer that debuted on the TV series American Ninja Warrior. Ondrasik has been touring in conjunction with the NHL's 100th Anniversary. So he's still active but it's unlikely he will ever repeat the commercial success of 2001. Here's the video for Superman (It's Not Easy) by Five For Fighting.
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